Voucherbook is a compilation of 2-for-1 offers for use at 25 different restaurants in and around Brisbane. 

Each of the venues featured in Voucherbook represents a diverse array of countries, cultures and culinary traditions – from the French inspired Crepe Café at Southbank, to Jatt Flava Indian cuisine in Fortitude Valley and La Kasbah Tunisian restaurant in Woolloongabba.

Voucherbooks can be purchased on line for $29.90 plus postage, with a shipping time of 3-7 days depending on your location.  

Great opportunities to explore the not-so-main-stream cuisines and venues around town are on offer – just make sure you read the fine print and advise the staff you have a voucher at the beginning of your meal.

The team at Voucherbook have been kind enough to offer BNE: HOT or NOT readers the chance to score a FREE Voucherbook to share exciting dining experiences with friends and family in 2011.  

We have two Voucherbooks to give away.  Just send me an email – cazM@bnehotornot.com with your favourite dining location in Brisbane.  Your name will go into the Lucky Donkey Cart of Dreams, from which our two winners be drawn and announced on Monday 20^th December.  Good Luck!

• Voucherbook – www.voucherbook.com.au

Floria Sigismondi is the director of some of the most impressive music videos of the past fifteen years. Her dark, seductive work has accompanied music by the likes of Marilyn Manson, David Bowie, Interpol, the White Stripes and even Christina Aguilera; strangely, even if you don’t like the song you can be drawn in by the stunning visuals.

It’s no surprise, then, that she’s now moved into film direction — the only surprise is that it took her this long.

Sigismondi’s debut feature film is The Runaways, which chronicles the rise, and later fall, of the band of the same name. I knew little of the band aside from the fact that it featured Joan Jett and that they had the hit ‘Cherry Bomb’.  I certainly knew nothing of the lead singer Cherie Currie, or the fact that the girls were all barely fifteen when they rapidly shot to fame in their ‘manufactured’ all-girl rock ‘n’ roll fantasy group.

The film stars teen actors Kristin Stewart of Twilight fame (who captures teen Joan Jett amazingly) and Dakota Fanning (I am Sam, Charlotte’s Web) as Cherie Currie.  And, while Stewart does a stand-out job portraying Jett’s f*** you attitude and angsty stoop, it’s Fanning’s portrayal of Currie that really makes the film. What these girls went through at such a young age is truly mind-boggling, and Currie’s downfall, with the help of her drug addiction, is heartbreaking.

There are many great things about this film. It’s not going to make anyone’s top 100 or go down in history, but it’s beautifully shot and is thoroughly enthralling from start to finish. There are other great performances as well — Michael Shannon’s portrayal of the sleazy, eccentric band manage Kim Fowley proves very entertaining, and Cherie’ twin sister Marie is nicely played by Riley Keough.

The Runaways is highly recommended if you want to want to spend two hours in a movie without feeling bored for a second.

Thanks to Hoyts Distribution, we have a double pass to see this great film. The pass is valid at all major cinemas across Australia until the season ends. All you have to do is be the first to email your postal address to joyce@bnehotornot.com! Easy

Up in the Air

Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) is a corporate downsizing gun-for-hire who flies around the country firing employees for bosses who are too cowardly to do the dirty work themselves. He’s a smooth operator, full of pretend concern and oft-repeated platitudes but with just the right amount of emotional distance to move in, do his job, and move out. He loves his work, mainly because it allows him stay on the road with no responsibilities and no emotional ties, with all of his life’s necessities neatly packed in his carry-on luggage. (There’s a funny scene where he talks about how to pick the fastest line when going through x-ray security – so true!).

His life is about to be turned upside down though when his boss hires Natalie (Anna Kendrick), a keen and perky young graduate who suggests that business costs could be reduced if the terminations are done via video-conference. With his lifestyle threatened, Bingham takes Natalie ‘on tour’ to show her what it’s really like to fire someone.

In another strand of the story, one night in yet another random hotel bar he meets Alex  (Vera Farmiga), a sexy and intelligent business woman who also seems to enjoy living life as a constant traveller and shares his fascination with collecting frequent flyer miles and loyalty cards. They have a brief affair and then begin to meet up in various cities. Slowly Ryan realises that she has gotten under his skin and that maybe hisitinerant lifestyle has its drawbacks.

Suave bachelor George Clooney is the perfect actor for the character of Bingham. Our gossip-mag knowledge of the poster boy for commitment phobia means that Clooney can convince us that someone wouldn’t be able to see the advantages in marriage or having a home and loves living a transient lifestyle. He has great chemistry with VeraFarmiga and Anna Kendrick and the writing from Jason Reitman (director of Juno and writer of Thank You For Smoking) is sharp and witty.

It’s not all beer and skittles though. Notice that the timeframes in the movie (such as at the conference the characters crash) are dated 2010 even though the movie was made in 2009, a device which keeps the film’s themes contemporary. While you’re laughing, Up in the Air also highlights that real people suffer when they lose their jobs.  Some of the footage you see are interviews with people who’ve been terminated. So their pain, disappointment, anger and humiliation are real, and it’s sobering to be reminded that for many people losing their job is the worse thing that’s ever happened to them.

Up in the Air is sophisticated, humorous and relevant and I really enjoyed it. I’m predicting it’ll win some major awards.

I have some double passes to see Up in the Air – if you’d like to go, please send an email to jetsettingjoyce@gmail.com with your postal address to go into the draw. Good luck!

I have a couple of double passes for the new film The French Kissers for special advance screenings on Friday 18, Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 December, before the main release on 26 December.

The breakout comedy sensation of the 2009 Cannes International Film Festival, and the surprise smash hit of the European summer, The French Kissers is the debut feature of acclaimed graphic artist Riad Sattouf – a rollicking tale of a pair of teens far removed from the cool crowd, as they suffer the endless embarrasments and minor triumphs of their first sexual longings.

If you’d like to go, just pop me an email at jetsettingjoyce@gmail.com with your name and mailing address and the winner will be drawn randomly. Good luck!

Welcome to the first BNE: HOT OR NOT giveaway! I have a couple of double passes for the new film The Boys are Back which are valid for all major cinemas during the film’s theatrical season, even with ‘No Free Tickets’ listing.

I reviewed the film recently and gave it a NOT, but that’s not to say that you’ll feel the same way. My movie date buddy, various mainstream press reviewers and the Toronto Film Festival all loved it. Why not judge for yourself – I’d really like to hear whether you agree or disagree with my views.

If you’d like to go, just pop me an email at jetsettingjoyce@gmail.com with your name and mailing address and the winner will be drawn randomly. Good luck!